Prescott Patriots Provide Place For Local Athletes to Play
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The Prescott Patriots play in the Arizona Football League (AzFL). It is a club for amateur players right out of high school that want to stay on film or possibly be recruited for college. Additionally, the league is for older players looking for a chance to pad up again and rejoin the brotherhood of gladiators.

Most of the players live and work in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Cottonwood, Camp Verde or Mayer. There are some players that live in the Phoenix area like Antwain Clark, Bobby Pacheco and Tristan Taylor.

Some have played together or against one another in high school. Others have played as teammates on one of the prior AzFL teams like the Bandits, Broncos, Sinners, Golden Knights or Raptors.

One thing is certain, they have a rare opportunity to come together and represent their region in Northern Arizona on a stage that features teams from around the state.

The league was fortunate to secure Mayer High School, home of the Wildcats, as their home field. It is one of the finest grass fields in the North and is just two miles west of the Cordes Junction exit on the I-17.

This is their first year together as a team. Like the teams in Tucson, the Patriots will play some games at Mayer High School and some on the road in Phoenix at Thunderbird High School-just forty-five minutes south of the home field in Mayer.

The squad will be hosting a four-game day on Saturday, April 22 at home. Their game will be the feature event at 6:30 PM vs. the Tucson Punisher, another first-year team.

Team owner and coach Shane Golay has put a lot into making this team become a reality for the local players. Golay picked the name, logo and colors to represent his pride as a veteran of the U.S. Military.

The offense is talented with Cliff Gaskill at quarterback and is also aided by Ricky Herrera, who lines up in several offensive positions and plays on defense as well. Roosevelt Ross III takes snaps and lines up at running back along with making plays on defense. Gaskill has some great targets in Matt Bailey, Brian Skinner, Israel Montijo, Noah Sanders and Mason Bartlett.

The defense features players that line up on the offense and defense. Some of the key defenders are Kevin Pinkard, Angel Gonzalez, Damien Baca, Kevin Youngblood and David Eargood. These players fill out a talented and tough team.

Golay is here for the long haul. He hopes to build a platform for the kids that graduate high school and want to continue playing.

The great thing about the Patriots is how the veterans are willing to help teach and develop the younger players. The youngsters are also willing to do more, work harder and build a solid program. Together, they will step up and fill the gaps of leadership and coaching both on the field and off.

Building a program is not easy, but the rewards are huge for all. Representing the communities where players live and work makes it special. It is good to know that the players are putting the team first to make this work. The payoff is already starting as more young players from the region are joining each week. The sky is the limit for the Patriots.

For anyone wanting to play this year, the roster stays open until the playoffs begin. ArizonaFootballLeague.com has the schedule, and information to join. Interested individuals will need their own helmet and pads. A bonus for those who join now and play right away is that they will be registered in the AzFL for the remainder of the 2017 season, and also for the entire 2018 season.